Liberal National Party lawmaker Angie Bell withdraws comments after calling for public shaming and stoning; Aly brands remarks racist and misogynistic.
An Australian opposition lawmaker has drawn sharp condemnation after suggesting that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Small Business Minister Anne Aly should be “shamed and stoned in the square,” prompting the minister to disclose that she has received 19 death threats in a single week.
Liberal National Party MP Angie Bell made the remarks in the House of Representatives on Tuesday while criticising the Australian Taxation Office’s decision to ban credit card payments for tax bills. Speaking in support of a Coalition bill seeking to reverse the ban, Bell said the government was punishing small businesses and concluded: “This minister (Anne Aly) and this prime minister should be absolutely shamed and stoned in the square.”
Bell was ordered to withdraw the comments after Leader of the House Tony Burke raised concerns about the use of “physically violent imagery.” She complied, but the remarks quickly ignited a wider political and public backlash.
Anne Aly Reports 19 Death Threats in One Week:
Aly, Australia’s first Muslim woman elected to federal parliament, said she felt compelled to respond. “This past week alone I’ve had 19 death threats on my social media, and in the past I’ve had death threats that are couched in that exact same language: ‘stone her’,” she said.
Aly described the comments as not merely unparliamentary but fundamentally at odds with Australian values. “We are a country that proudly stands against violence against women, and against regimes that use brutal methods like stoning against women,” she said. “It is racist, it is misogynistic, and it should never have been said.”
The exchange occurred amid ongoing controversy over the ATO’s plan to stop accepting credit card payments for tax liabilities, a move that has drawn strong criticism from business groups. The government has already negotiated a delay until the end of the current financial year and has pledged further consultation with the business community. Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Albanese have both publicly addressed the issue in recent days.
Aly’s disclosure of the volume of threats against her has highlighted the personal risks faced by women in Australian politics, particularly those from minority backgrounds. As the first Muslim woman to enter the federal parliament in 2016, she has previously spoken about experiencing abuse that specifically references her faith and gender.
Debate Grows Over Threats to Women MPs:
Opposition figures have largely focused on the policy dispute rather than defending the specific wording used by Bell. The incident has, however, intensified scrutiny of the tone of parliamentary debate and the real-world consequences of language that invokes violence against elected representatives.
The episode comes at a time of heightened political tension in Canberra, with the Albanese government under pressure over cost-of-living issues and the opposition seeking to portray Labor as out of touch with small business concerns. Aly’s public response has shifted attention onto the personal toll of political rhetoric and the persistence of threats directed at women in public life.
As the parliamentary sitting continues, the remarks and Aly’s subsequent disclosure are likely to fuel further debate about standards of discourse and the safety of elected officials in Australia.